The Sari Diaries- Tuesday 7/14/26

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

Good evening to all! We have had a long and fantastic day at 8258 County O- the session has barely started and camp already is feeling like it is in full motion…we are in action and happy about it. As for today, it was a unique one and here is how it went…

Our Day at CRC
-Morning Wake-Up!
-Breakfast- Chocolate Chip & Plain Pancakes, Turkey Bacon and Scrambled Eggs.
-Cabin Clean-Up!
-Movie Morning- The entire camp boarded school buses for a fun morning at the movie theater watching Toy Story 5! We enjoyed some air conditioning, entertainment, and obviously concessions :).
-Lunch- Grilled Cheese & Tater Tots.
-Big and Little Sis Hangout! Rest period was spent with big & little sisters bonding all across camp…both preparing for Big and Little Sis Night and just getting to know one another. Stella G (Lakeview) told me that her little sister, Jayanna H (Blackfoot) told her that she had a beautiful singing voice. Stella isn’t so sure that’s true but was flattered that Jayanna paid her the compliment!
-Afternoon Rotations- We are in a situation that is nearly the same as, and nearly the opposite of first session. It is similar in that running regular activities is not feasible due to weather. And it is completely different because we are experiencing extreme heat instead of extremely cool temps…I’ll take this! So we spent the afternoon indulging on snow cones, swimming, SUPing, sailing, fishing, sprinkler-ing and friendly water-fighting. It was a fun way to stay reasonably cool this afternoon!

-Dinner- Taco Tuesday & S’mores Bars!
-Big & Little Sis Night- Big and Little Sisters dressed in matching costumes and competed in a wide variety of games against other big and little sisters. Some of these were pretty creative- Guess the Sour Patch Kid Flavor, Toothpick and Marshmallow Tower Building, Partner Obstacle Course and Musical Chairs were all favorites. And don’t worry, we included the classics such as Lemonade, Make Your Own Handshake and Water Balloon Toss. The CITs did a fantastic job planning and implementing this program…campers had an amazing night! A special shout-out to Teddy L (Bowed Legs) and Morgan K (Wagon Ridge) for building the highest marshmallow-toothpick tower…that activity was a hit! And a big congratulations to Ellie C (Bowed Legs) & Harlow R (Copper Stripes) and Coral S (Trailriders) & Nora C (Circle C) on their 2026 Second Session Big & Little Sister Night victory…yes, there was a tie!

Everything Matters Moments
-This morning before departing for Lakeland Cinema, Reece M and Sydney M (Horseshoe) stopped by the office with a box full of trash that they had picked up around camp. My assumption is that this trash had fallen out of the garbage cans or the dumpsters, and had blown around camp (not totally sure how else trash could be lying around). That said, they were looking for no prize, they weren’t asked to do it, but the two of them saw a need and helped make Chippewa even more beautiful and pristine.
-Blake K (Rafter^X) approached me at dinner to tell me that she couldn’t wait for tonight’s program. She and her big sister, Justine S (Lakeview) were dressing up as something but she told me not to ask her…I would have to wait and see. The smile plastered across her face was heartwarming…I am confident that Justine has helped Blake feel comfortable and happy at camp, and soooo excited to spend time with her for Big & Little Sis Night.
-Big and Little Sis Night itself brought us plenty of Everything Matters Moments. I think the coolest part of the night is that the big sisters at CRC seem to actually have an understanding of the impact they have on both their little sisters’ camp experiences and our camp culture in general. This was especially highlighted when I visited the waterfront to see Mikki L (Lakeview) and Lexi N (Circle C) practicing their big & little sis handshake. They were eager to show it to me, and they were equally into it…maybe because they were both having the times of their lives or maybe because they both know that it matters to live it up and lean into everything #TheRanch2026 has to offer. Whatever the reason, it was sweet…and this is just one of hundreds of examples of small yet important interactions that were happening all over CRC tonight.

That’s all I got for now but I’ll be back tomorrow with another TSD post to tell you all about our day, our fun and our EMMs!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari